


After the Storm

by amitiel



Category: FFXV - Fandom, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Background Promnis, Crush, DrauCor, Fluff, Gay Sex, Longing, M/M, Sex, Strangers to Lovers, cor as a mentor, cor leonis is a florist, flowershop au, tattoo artist au, titus drautos is a tattoo artist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26165038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amitiel/pseuds/amitiel
Summary: Cor retired from the military after the war, content to spend his life in solitude as a florist and shop owner. His part-time employee, Prompto, is eager to tell his tattoo artist, Titus, all about the wonderful shop owner who works across from him. Curious, he checks it out one day, and Cor and Titus find an unexpected connection to their past military service.Will Cor be able to open up enough to convey what he feels for Titus? Or will Titus have to make the first move?
Relationships: Prompto Argentum & Cor Leonis, Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia, Titus Drautos | Glauca/Cor Leonis
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	After the Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Data_HEX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Data_HEX/gifts).



The streets of Insomnia in the early dawn hours were quiet, peaceful, the dew from the morning mist settling on the windows and awnings outside. It was the type of calm that all early morning business owners knew well before the hustle of the city came to life. While true that it was the city that never slept, the hours that certain districts were awake varied, rising and falling like a crest of a wave as it swept throughout the city on its natural ebb and flow. Over by the Citadel, where the diplomats often met, it was usually lively to some extent. Here in this quaint corner of Insomnia, it was tranquil as ever.

This district was reserved for the flower shops, the small bakeries, the local businesses that flourished within the city as the government made it evident that they wanted local businesses to thrive first and foremost. Amongst the peaceful streets of shops with cobblestone roads and beautiful shops that cultivated a thriving locality, there was one of the most popular flower shops in all of Insomnia.

Of course it was popular. Cor Leonis, the Immortal for those in the military, owned the shop. It came as a shock to most when he was given the option of staying in the military and rising up the ranks, and he opted for an honorable discharge in favor of starting the flower shop. To those who knew the reason why, it made sense. The horrors of war, although Lucis had been at peace for many years now, lingered in Cor’s heart. He chose to live a humble life, removed from the gore and glory of the military. Amongst the flowers, there was a simplistic contentment that he could enjoy.

There was a simple routine that Cor adhered to now that he was in his mid forties. He prepared for the day, opened the shop, had his part time help come in, and at some point he would break for lunch. When the day was done he would close up and head up to his small loft above the shop where he would prepare his dinner, drink a cup of tea, read a book, and head to bed. It was lonely, simple, but Cor was content to live it. The ravages of war had done enough. He didn’t need any chaos now.

As any other day, Cor dressed in black pants, a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a dark blue apron that hung around his waist. Sometimes he opted for suspenders, but that was more function than fashion. He was the first to admit that he hated doing laundry, so the suspenders came in when he was getting to the bottom of his closet and had to pull on pants that were too big over his waist. It wasn’t laundry day yet, and Cor didn’t have to worry about that for a few days at least.

Cor liked this life. He wasn’t as hard as he was in the military, although his part-timer, Prompto, did a lot to try and get him to actually smile. It became a competition of sorts, and there had been a few times that Cor had caved and gave him a smile or two. He liked to think that if he had a son, Prompto would have been how he would’ve liked him to turn out. In a sense, Cor mentored Prompto and helped steer him in the right direction since he was often on his own without any parents to guide him due to their travels. 

“Hey Cor,” Prompto called just after Cor opened the shop for the day. He wasn’t scheduled to come in yet, but oftentimes if he wasn’t with his friends he would just show up and help out without expecting any pay. Cor had tried to compensate the blond, but he had said it was what he considered to be volunteer work. “Guess what? I’m getting a tattoo!”

“Really?” Cor mused, more than a bit surprised. He knew that Prompto had been considering it for a while, but he hadn’t found the proper inspiration. “What are you getting?”

“Some chocobo feathers,” Prompto replied with a slight blush. “The tattoo place across the street has a really good artist. It’s going on my shoulder.”

“It’ll look very nice on you,” Cor complimented. He finished fussing with a bouquet he had been working on for a client who wanted to surprise their crush. “When is it scheduled?”

“Well uh… You see.” Prompto blushed and looked at his feet. “He had a last minute cancellation today and-”

“Help me out this morning, and you can have the rest of the day off.” Cor smiled. Prompto always did his work, never asked for time off, and never asked for time off. Even when his friends came around, asking him to take off the rest of his shift, he didn’t. 

Prompto let out a cheer as he practically jumped into the air. He got to work right away, helping Cor with the orders for the day and manning the cash register, always helpful and a welcoming presence to Cor’s otherwise lonesome life.

*** 

Titus finished the design for the tattoo, grateful that he could fill the last minute cancellation by scheduling another appointment quickly. Ever since he had opted to retire from the special ops, the Kingsglaive, and returned to his artistic passions, Titus had found comfort in owning his own business and running his own shop. He met a lot of interesting people from all walks of life, and the art was always varied.

Since leaving the military, Titus had enough friends with his employees in the shop, but he was otherwise on his own. His body was covered in tattoos, elegant designs from his home that had been lost in the war against Niflheim. It covered up the scars from his time in the service, although not all scars were physical. He was considered a hardened man because of it, someone that many were intimidated by. Yet he had a huge clientele because of his ability as a tattoo artist, and it didn’t quite matter how hard he was.

“How’s this?” Titus asked the blond sitting in the chair, showing him the stencil for the artwork. He analyzed his features, his expression, seeing his contemplation turning to excitement. 

“It’s perfect!” Prompto replied excitedly. This guy caught Titus off guard when he first walked into the shop. He didn’t seem intimidated by him at all. Instead, he was just excitable. “Thank you so much!”

“Alright,” Titus replied, not sure how to take his lack of reserve that most clients had around him. “Let’s get the stencil on you and then we’ll get tattooing.”

They got to work soon enough, Titus focusing on the linework as Prompto sat in the chair and chatted away with him happily. Most of his clients were just quiet and watched a movie while he tattooed them, but not Prompto. He seemed content to talk to Titus, and eventually Titus found himself talking to him as he worked.

“You know, kid,” Titus finally said once he was done the linework and ready to move onto the coloring and shading. “Most clients are intimidated by me. You don’t seem to even notice or care.”

“Oh,” Prompto replied with a blush and a smile. “Well, I work at the florist shop right across the street. The owner there is stern like you are, but he’s really nice. I guess I got over the stereotype that stern guys are intimidating. He’s really a big softie, but don’t tell him I told you that.”

Titus grinned despite himself. “Your secret’s safe with me, kid. Alright, now sit still.”

Despite Prompto sitting still in the chair the entire time, he continued to tell Titus about the florist shop across the street. Titus couldn’t help but admit that he was a loner and didn’t really talk to the other shop owners here. Most of them judged him based on his size and tattoos alone. But it sounded like the guy who owned the shop wasn’t like that. Maybe he would stop by one day, just to see if reality matched what Prompto said.

***

“How does it look?” Prompto asked Cor as he showed off his tattoo the next day. Cor let out a whistle of approval, grinning at his flushed cheeks. It was easy to fluster the kid, especially since he didn't get a whole lot of positive reinforcement at home. “Thanks. Hey, why is the bouquet from yesterday still here?”

Cor shrugged, as if he didn’t know. That’s when the door to the shop opened and Prompto’s friend, Ignis, walked in. Prompto looked at him in surprise, but Cor knew exactly what he was here for. He took the bouquet out for him, a smile breaking out on his face. Prompto looked surprised, but Cor had actually coordinated this with Ignis the other day, only to have Prompto surprise him with the unexpected tattoo appointment.

“Hello Ignis,” Cor said as he handed him the bouquet, purchased in advance. “For you and your crush. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Ignis replied, a slight tint of pink on his cheeks beneath his glasses. Prompto looked at Ignis with a type of longing and despair that Cor knew all too well, but a moment later Ignis turned to him. “Prompto, can we talk outside for a moment?”

Cor shooed them out and watched as Prompto’s expression turned from sadness to surprise to joy. Ignis handed him the flowers, and a moment later they were breathlessly kissing. He was happy for them. They were young enough to fall in love and still be hopeful about the world. 

As he was admiring their youth and love, the door to the shop opened and a tall, muscular man with many tattoos stepped inside, looking around casually. Cor wondered if he was there to purchase some flowers for a loved one, and he immediately pretended to be busy as he greeted him. He was exactly Cor’s type, and that wasn’t a bad thing as long as he kept his distance.

“They look like they’re having fun out there,” the man said as he approached the counter. Cor looked at Ignis and Prompto chatting excitedly, then he looked back at the man. “I’m Titus. I own the tattoo shop across the street. Prompto mentioned he worked here yesterday, so I thought I’d come and check it out.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cor said as he shook the man’s hand. “I’m Cor. You wouldn’t happen to be Titus Drautos, would you?”

“Yeah, how’d you guess?” Titus smiled at him, but Cor noticed the concern flicker in his eyes. It was the same concern he always got when someone recognized his name from the military days.

“Cor Leonis,” he elaborated. The relief in Titus’s eyes was palpable, and Cor felt a pang in his heart that he didn’t quite understand and definitely ignored. 

“No shit,” Titus beamed. “So this is where the infamous Immortal Cor Leonis ended up? Guess we’re more alike than not. Listen, why don’t we go out for a drink sometime? It’d be nice to talk to someone about civilian life who gets it.”

“Sure,” Cor replied before he could stop himself. “It’d be nice. Maybe after the shops close?”

Titus agreed, and wished him well before leaving. He stopped outside the shop and spoke to Prompto and Ignis for a moment before waving and walking away. Cor wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but he had the sudden sense that he had somehow been swept off his feet.

*** 

Titus didn’t ask Cor out for drinks for a while after that. Cor noticed how he would stop by the flower shop at first, talking to him casually for a few minutes at a time before it became earlier and for increasingly longer amounts of time. Eventually Cor scolded him and told him if he was going to hang around all day then he should grab an apron and a broom. To Cor’s surprise, Titus actually did, and he got used to seeing him in the mornings, helping him in the shop while enjoying his company before he went to open his own shop.

This went on for a couple of months, and Cor found the days that Titus didn’t join him that he actually began to miss him. He was starting to occupy a space in his heart that he didn’t even realize was there, and Titus wasn’t going to admit that Cor had occupied a similar space. The moments that Cor came to appreciate and even look forward to were the moments when it was just him and Titus, tending to the shop and chatting as if they were friends all along.

“Hey there, Titus,” Prompto said as he walked into the shop just before closing, surprising Cor. Titus looked like he was freshly showered, wearing black jeans, a black v-neck shirt, and a leather jacket. Cor felt his heart pounding in his chest. He smelled heavenly, even amongst the flowers. “I think I’m going to get out of here, Cor. I finished up my stuff for the night, and it’s date night with Ignis.”

“Have fun,” Cor called after him as he hurriedly grabbed his bag and camera and left. He turned to Titus then, realizing that Prompto flipped the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’ as he left. “What brings you here, Titus? You’re normally not around this time of night-”

Titus didn’t say anything to interrupt Cor. Instead, he pressed his lips against his, interrupting him as he swept the floor of the shop. Cor gripped the broom tightly as his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into the kiss. All along he had wanted this, but he didn’t know it until it happened. The way that he just fit so perfectly against him, the way the silence of the shop was filled with his heartbeat, the way that he lost all desire for anything else, told him as much.

“How about that drink?” Cor offered after pause when Titus pulled away. The sun had set, the shadows of the street lamps outside creating an ethereal glow to the flowers surrounding them in the shop. 

“I could go for one,” Titus breathed, a smile dancing on his lips. Cor nodded and set the broom down, taking off his apron and wordlessly setting it on the counter. He walked over to the door and locked it, turning off the rest of the lights to the shop before making his way back to Titus. “Are we going out or…?”

“I have a few beers upstairs,” Cor explained as he headed towards the back. “Is that okay?”

Titus’s smile grew wider, and he followed Cor. As they walked up the small flight of steps to the loft, Cor felt Titus grab his hand as it naturally swung back with his gait. Smiling, the moment that they were up the steps Cor turned to him, only to be met with Titus’s lips against his. Titus pressed him against the wall, one hand on his lightly and the other on his hip.

“I’d prefer to drink you in,” Titus said finally, his body pressed against Cor’s, hips grinding together in a way that made Cor flush red. “I want you to be my lover, Cor.”

“I’m not good with words,” Cor said quietly. He looked into Titus’s beautiful eyes and kissed him lightly in response, giving him time to find the words. “I want that too, Titus.”

It was all he could manage, but it seemed to be enough. Titus kissed him passionately, and Cor closed his eyes once more as their tongues danced together. They both scrambled to get to the bedroom, and Titus held onto him as he continued to lose himself in his lips, walking him backwards into his own bedroom. Titus pressed Cor against his bed, laying him down and climbing onto the bed and straddling him.

Cor reached to his bedside table and pulled out the lubricant he had, something that hadn’t been used with a partner in a long time. Each action was interrupted by a kiss, each moment a longing sigh interrupting their need to connect. Titus and Cor helped each other out of their clothes, their bodies aching to be with each other. As soon as they were naked, Titus pressed his body against Cor’s, grinding his hips and making him moan into the kiss.

Titus grabbed the lubricant from Cor and lathered his fingers before pressing one and then another into him, stretching him out and making him shudder as his body was overcome by pleasure. He let out a soft moan, nearly a sigh, as Titus worked his fingers, preparing him as his lips trailed down to his neck. Cor pitched his hips once he knew he was ready, demanding Titus to be in him now.

Letting out a grunt of approval, Titus pulled away for a moment and applied the lubricant to his cock before positioning himself at Cor’s entrance. Cor hooked his legs around Titus as Titus slowly inserted himself, both of them letting out a moan of satisfaction. Initially, Cor was gripping the sheets, but a moment later Titus had woven his fingers in Cor’s, pinning his hands on either side of his head.

“Titus…” Cor gasped and moaned as Titus began to move, thrusting in and out of him slowly at first, then with more force. Pleasure wracked Cor’s body as Titus thrust into him, every part of him feeling full with the man’s presence. “Titus… More…”

Titus let out a hungry growl as he kissed Cor, his hips moving fervently, pulsing in and out of Cor with a hunger that made Cor cry out in bliss. He couldn’t stop calling out Titus’s name as the pressure built, the desire heightened into a fire and electricity, and a moment later Cor felt himself tipping over the precipice. He climaxed, spilling out onto his chest, his mind blank with nothing but ecstasy. Titus was not far behind him, and they stopped all movement, looking at each other for a long moment before speaking.

“I love you,” Cor said, knowing that those were the words he had been searching for all this time. He couldn’t deny it, even if it was too early to really admit it. He loved Titus, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

“I love you too,” Titus replied with a soft smile before he kissed him deeply. 

***

Cor awoke to the sound of his alarm going off, his body sore and his mind overcome with grogginess. At first, he found it difficult to move, but when he turned and saw Titus’s arm draped across his waist, he smiled. Shutting off the alarm, he turned and curled into Titus’s arms, ignoring the early morning for once.

“Is it time to get up already?” Titus murmured, pulling Cor further into his arms. Cor inhaled deeply as he nuzzled his lips into Titus’s neck, a happiness settling into his soul in a way that he had never felt before. “Just five more minutes.”

Cor smiled and kissed Titus’s neck. “Alright. Five more minutes.”

He closed his eyes and listened to Titus’s deep breaths, content to lay there for five minutes or an eternity longer.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a tumblr fic giveaway for reaching a milestone of followers. Data-hex gave me the prompt of "Draucor, fluff, and sex" so this is what I got.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun to write and now I feel soft from writing it. XD


End file.
